How good is it
With the 50mm drivers amplifying the Detonator, in-game audio is very impressive, with a warm and balanced sound that allows you to hear audio cues very clearly.During a Halo Reach multiplayer session, we could clearly define which direction footsteps were approaching from, and were also experiencing all the subtle audio effects that add to the cinematic experience.
The bass is substantial and deep. During sessions on Gears of War 3 and Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, the sounds of gun-fire and explosions are huge and heavy. At full volume it's a little too much to bear, but turn it down a notch and you're treated to a really immersive audio experience.
Voice sound isn't as impressive, though, but this seems to be a general problem associated with Xbox Live rather than the headset.
Feedback from other gamers revealed that we could be heard cleanly and clearly in game, though we did struggle to understand the garbled speech of a number of players.
After long periods of play using the Detonator, and discussions with people we could talk with online, the voice issues seem to be a mixture of poor connections, people playing over their wireless connections and substandard headsets – there were even some people using Kinect's awful mic function.
It's an issue we've long had a problem with on Xbox Live and the Detonator doesn't help to rectify that. All you can be assured of is that you sound clear to those you're speaking to, as long as you're in a "lobby" with a stable connection and your friends have decent headsets.
During Party chat, where you're isolated from the crowds, voice chat performs impeccably, and we were able to have clear conversations far better than if using our official Microsoft headset, which occasionally provide horrible feedback.
Nifty features
In addition to the audio experience that the 50mm drivers deliver, the Detonator also has a few other nifty features that set it apart as a gaming headset.
The in-line controller, which sits down the wire about one metre from your Xbox 360 controller, adds some extra functionality. Two dials on the side of the controller allow you to separate game and chat volume. During intense bouts of combat and lots of noise this can prove invaluable for listening to team-mates clearly and getting the edge over opponents.
Via three buttons on the face of the in-line controller you can also mute game audio, mute your mic and activate SVM (selectable voice monitoring), which allows you to hear your own voice through your headset – therefore hearing what other players should hear.
Once you press any of the three buttons the LEDs light up allowing you to get access to them quickly if the lighting in your room is low.
Though we would have preferred the in-line controller to be placed a little further up the wire so we can reach it a bit more easily, the controller functions as it should and could give you the edge over your opponents. Indeed, the ability to separate game and chat volume is becoming an essential feature of any serious gaming headset.
Away from gaming, you can quickly unplug the 3.5mm jack from the Detonator and plug it into any compatible device. We've tested it out on PC, our mobile phone, MP3 player and our iPad 2 with great success.
One of favourite tests for assessing sound quality is listening to Soul II Soul's "Back 2 Life" and its thumpin' bassline. Suffice to say that the Detonator does justice to that track with a rich, deep sound that definitely got us in the groove. (ed. steady on, son)
It's quite hard to believe that we're so far into the life cycle of the Xbox 360 yet only now has a co-branded headset made it to market. Nonetheless, now that it has landed, Xbox 360 gamers should be very pleased with its overall sound, comfort and robust build quality.
The long-winded set-up process isn't ideal and we do question whether voice chat can ever perform impeccably over Xbox Live when there are so many other issues to contend with. However, The Detonator does its best to provide a well-rounded audio experience and though it's wired and fairly pricey at £59.99, it does provide an impressive and more affordable alternative to what will undoubtedly be TRITTON's superior Xbox 360 headset, the wireless Devastator.
The Good
Comfortable to wear for long gaming sessionsIn-line controller provides game-improving feature
Quality in-game sound through 50mm drivers
The Bad
Lots of wires and long-winded set-up
Will voice-chat ever be crystal clear on Xbox Live?
HEXUS Rating
TRITTON Detonator Stereo Headset
HEXUS Where2Buy
TRITTON Detonator Stereo Headset is available to buy from European stockist that can be found at the MadCatz website.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
